A keysigning party is an event for helping people verify each others' PGP keys and strengthening the web of trust.

take control of your privacy

meet other interesting members of the privacy-aware community

learn about cryptography technologies widely used in industry

eat pizza

LUG@UCLA's keysigning party uses a slightly modified version of the Sassaman-Efficient method.

Instructions

I. RSVP

Generate your PGP keypair if you haven't already: $ gpg --gen-key WARNING: make sure you understand the implications of holding a private key, e.g. do not generate it on a computer you don't own and have full control over.

Sync your public key with the keyservers: $ gpg --send-keys <your key ID>WARNING: this is irreversible. Make sure you are prepared to protect your private key and you are using a very strong passphrase.

Append the checksum to the bottom of keylist.txt: $ cat keylist.txt.sha1 >>keylist.txt

Print keylist.txt and keep safe. For your convenience, here is a printable version. Be sure the verify the checksum at the bottom of the page.

III. The Party

Bring the following:

printed copy of keylist.txt

One or more forms of ID (e.g. drivers license + Bruin card)

make sure the keylist.txt checksum at the bottom of your printout matches the checksum projected onto the wall.

Together, we will iterate over the keylist and each participant will make a statement that their fingerprint is correct. Put a check mark next to each person that has stated that their fingerprint is correct.

When we finish going through the list, break formation and individually go to each person on your keylist to verify their identity. Add a second check mark next to each person that you verify. This indicates that you really believe they own that key.

FAQ

Q: How do I install GnuPG (gpg)?A: Most open source operating systems will include GnuPG by default. If GnuPG is not installed, and isn't provided by your operating system vendor, you should seriously consider switching to a better operating system. Come to LUG during Tutoring hours or attend our next Installfest and we will help you install GNU/Linux on your computer.